No Preset Spending Limit with the Advanta Business World MasterCard®

We've added the Advanta Business World MasterCard® to our lineup of recommended business credit cards. This card does not come with an attractive 0% balance transfer offer, and it the purchase APR is currently 16.99% (indexed to Prime.) So why do we like this card?

Because for certain individuals this card could be a very nice fit. Those small business owners who pay their credit card bills in full each and every month -- thus avoiding any finance charges -- will almost certainly find the "no preset spending limit" aspect of this card attractive. This card is very unique: it's a credit card with no preset spending cap. Usually, only charge cards like the Gold Card from American Express card have no preset limit.

Here's a clip from the Advanta Business World MasterCard terms and conditions:

"....Because your account has no pre-set spending limit, we may permit you to incur charges that cause your balance to exceed your revolving credit limit. We may evaluate each such charge based on your account performance with us and your experience with other creditors. Any amount that we allow you to spend above your revolving credit limit will be due in your next statement, but we will not charge you an overlimit fee. All rates, fees and comparisons are valid as of April 1, 2008 but not necessarily thereafter. You should consult your tax advisor as to the proper tax treatment and deductibility of any business expenses, including the cost of credit..."

No need to worry about being charged an over-your-credit-limit fee, ever. But, if you do go over your credit limit, be prepared to pay whatever amount you go over when your next statement arrives. If you want to spend above your limit but Advanta decides not to permit the overage, the charge will be declined.

Interested? Click here to apply.

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Help Entrepreneurs In Developing Nations Thrive with The New Advanta Kiva Business Credit Card

Advanta has just introduced the new Kiva business credit card. What's so special about this new Kiva card? Well, if philanthropy is your thing, this card might be just the right fit for you. That's because, as a Kiva BusinessCard accountholder, anytime you make a grant to Kiva.org using the Kiva card, Advanta will match the grant -- dollar for dollar -- up to $200 per month. Your grant will help entrepreneurs in developing nations.

Microfinance is a beautiful thing. A small donation can make a huge difference to a struggling entrepreneur in a relatively poor country. The future of philanthropy is in microfinance, in my humble opinion. Handouts can help deserving recipients temporarily. A grant to an entrepreneur, on the other hand, will not only improve that business owner's life, but also his family and his community.

The annual percentage rate (APR) for purchases with the new Kiva card is a very competitive Prime + 2.74%, which adds up to 7.99% at the time of this posting (NB: the index never drops below 5.25% for this card, no matter where the Prime Rate is.)

You can transfer a credit card balance at 0% Intro APR and the interest-free period will last 15 months! That's pretty darn strong. If you don't payoff your transferred balance by the time 15 billing cycles are up, the "goto" APR will be 7.99%, which is also very competitive.

A couple things I should point out before you decide to take the plunge:

• From the terms and conditions:
  

  
  "...Balance transfers must be from another business credit account..."

  
  
• Again, from the terms and conditions:
  
  

  "...Finance charges on balance transfers and cash advances begin to accrue on the date we process the transaction..."

Visit www.kivab4b.org for more info about how the Kiva program works. You can also visit the blog at www.b4bcommunity.org for the latest Kiva-related news.

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New Business Credit Card from American Express

If you fly with Delta Airlines a lot, then today's news may interest you. American Express recently announced the launch of a new line of business credit cards aimed at consumers and small business owners who fly with Delta Airlines often. The cards are the Delta Reserve Credit Card and the Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card. Here's a notable quote from the April press release:

"...The Delta Reserve Credit Cards are now the most elite Cards offered in the line of American Express and Delta co-branded cards..."

If the above quote has piqued your interest, here's a much bigger clip from the release:

"...American Express and Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) are launching new premium co-branded credit cards for U.S.-based consumers and small businesses called the Delta Reserve Credit Card and the Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card. These new products will offer added value, flexibility and new benefits for Cardmembers who are most loyal to Delta.

The Delta Reserve Credit Cards are designed to cater to the needs of Delta's on-the-go customers and provides Cardmembers with a greatly enhanced travel experience through benefits such as the ability to earn Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) faster, share MQMs with family and friends for the first time ever, access to the dedicated Breezeway priority boarding lane and frequent traveler security line, Delta Crown Room Clubs® access, and 24-7 concierge services. The Delta Reserve Credit Cards are now the most elite Cards offered in the line of American Express and Delta co-branded cards.

'We are delighted to expand our partnership with Delta and to offer these premium co-branded cards that reward our most loyal customers in new and unique ways,' said David Rabkin, vice president, Delta Cobrands, American Express. 'We know that affluent customers want access to distinctive services and experiences, so we continually look for ways to meet these needs. With the launch of the new Delta Reserve Credit Cards, we can deliver on that commitment.'

'The Delta Reserve Credit Card was created to offer premium customers a best-in-class co-brand card that provides them preferential treatment when flying Delta,' said Jeff Robertson, Delta's managing director of SkyMiles. 'Not only does this unique Card offer generous rewards, it will also provide loyal Delta customers an experience that is designed to exceed their expectations.'

The Delta Reserve Credit Cards offer distinct benefits and options that allow Cardmembers to:

• Achieve higher Delta SkyMiles Medallion status faster:

• Earn MQMs as a first purchase bonus;

• Earn 15,000 MQMs and 15,000 bonus miles when eligible spending reaches $30,000 in a calendar year;

• Earn an additional 15,000 MQMs and 15,000 bonus miles when eligible spending reaches $60,000 in the same year.

• Give the MQMs earned from Card spending to colleagues, friends or family – for the first time ever.

Enjoy complimentary access to Delta's Crown Room Clubs with two guests when flying on Delta.

Access to the dedicated Breezeway priority boarding lane and frequent traveler security line.

Utilize American Express' Personal Concierge Service with features such as gift buying and restaurant reservations – 24 hours a day/seven days a week.

Receive one complimentary companion certificate each year on the Cardmember's anniversary, good for either First or Coach Class travel.

Access to Pay with Miles, a new exclusive benefit for Gold and Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Cardmembers -- and now Delta Reserve Credit Cardmembers. Pay with Miles offers added flexibility, allowing Cardmembers to redeem miles for any available Delta seat, any time. Cardmembers can book flights on delta.com and use Delta SkyMiles to pay for all or part of a Delta ticket, with no blackout dates or inventory restrictions.
Terms, conditions, and restrictions apply to these benefits. See www.americanexpress.com/deltareserve for details.

The Cards are available for an annual fee of $450. If a Cardmember is the Basic Cardmember of a domestic American Express consumer Charge Card account or of a domestic American Express small business charge card account that has an annual fee greater than or equal to $55, the annual fee is $395.

Consumers will continue to earn Always Double Miles® (i) on every eligible dollar they spend on Delta purchases, as well as at gas stations, supermarkets, drugstores, home improvement stores, and more.

The new Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card incorporates all the above benefits of the Delta Reserve Credit Card. However, the ability to earn Always Double Miles® (ii) on every eligible dollar spent includes the following business relevant categories: Delta purchases, gas stations, home improvement stores, wireless phone bill payments, and office supplies. In addition, the Business Card offers programs and services tailored specifically to the needs of small business owners. In addition, the Business Card provides expense management reporting, an online spend tracking system and spending limits on additional cards that aid in better managing employee spending..."

Enjoy!

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New Card Added: The Advanta Platinum with Rewards Customized BusinessCard

We've just added the Advanta Platinum with Rewards Customized BusinessCard to the list of card we recommend at this website. We like this card a lot, not only because it's cool, but also because it comes with some very competitive terms and conditions.

Why is this card cool? Because, as far as we know, it's the only business credit card in the American market that you can customize with your own logo or a favorite image, and/or have your company name emblazoned with bold lettering at the top of the card, like this:

If you want to transfer a balance to this card, you'll have to pay a balance transfer fee, but this downside is very well balanced with the upside of a 0% introductory APR on balance transfers for 15 months. Very competitive indeed.

And that's not all. The APR on purchases is a very competitive Prime + 0.24%. Now, it should be noted that the purchase APR cannot go lower than 7.75%, no matter how low the Prime Rate falls (Prime is currently at 5.25%, and is likely to be cut again on April 30.) A Clip from the terms and conditions:

...Your account rate for Purchases will be Prime plus a Purchase Margin of 0.24%...Your Variable Rate Index for any billing cycle will be chosen by us from among the Prime Rates published in The Wall Street Journal's "Money Rates" section during the three (3) months prior to the month which contains that cycle's Billing Cycle Closing Date, but will not be less than 7.75%...

Bottom line: despite these somewhat convoluted APR terms for purchases, the introductory and purchase APR's associated with this card are still excellent.

Other powerful features of this card:

• Choice of 5% Cash Back or Travel Rewards
  
  
• No Annual Fee
  
  
• No Limit on the Total Rewards you can earn
  
  
• $0 Fraud Liability

If you end up with this card in your wallet, feel free to revisit this blog entry and post your comments here. Thanks!

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Added New Business Credit Cards from Capital One

Two new, Capital One business credit cards have been added to this website. The cards are:

• The Capital One Visa® Business Platinum
  with No Hassle CashSM Credit Card
  
  
• The Capital One Visa® Business Platinum
  with Preferred No Hassle MilesSM Credit Card

I like these two cards. They each have a strong rewards program, and with both you get 0% intro APR on new credit card purchases for 12 months (if you are looking for a business credit card with a great 0% intro APR balance transfer deal then click here.)

I also very much like the fact that Capital One doesn't play the universal default game. Considering how many banks play "follow the leader" with their terms and conditions, Capital One should be commended for not jumping on the universal default bandwagon.

Both Capital One cards listed above include the following in their terms:

"...We do not engage in a practice known as "universal default." Universal default permits a credit card company to increase your APR's solely because you fail to make a payment on a loan with another lender or your credit history contains other negative information. If we increase your APR's for any of the reasons disclosed above, we may review your credit history to determine (a) that we should not increase your APR, or (b) the level of the increase, if any..."

Other leading banks, including Citi, are moving away from universal default, so perhaps the practice will be eradicated from the credit card industry at some point in the near future.

If you find universal default particularly irksome, you can always contact your Representative in Congress and/or your state's Representative in the Senate and let them know how you feel about it.

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A New Business Credit Card from Advanta: The Life-of-Balance Platinum Business Card

Most consumer and business credit cards are indexed to the U.S. Prime Rate, which means that the Prime Rate is used a base or foundation rate for determining a credit card's annual percentage rate (APR). Finding a credit card with an APR that's close to the Prime Rate is not easy; finding a credit card with an APR that's lower than the U.S. Prime Rate is very rare.

So it's no surprise that we've been recommending the Advanta Platinum Business Card with Rewards Options for many months now: the APR is Prime minus 0.26%, and you can transfer credit card balances and pay no interest on the transferred balance for 15 months. It's a hot offer, but make sure your credit rating is up to snuff before applying, because with an APR below Prime, you can be sure that the folks at Advanta will be selective.

Advanta's New "Life-of-Balance" Platinum Business Card

We've added a new Advanta business card to the site. We like Advanta's new "Life-of-Balance" Platinum Business Card because the APR is quite competitive at Prime + 1.74%. But we really like the fact that you can transfer other credit card balances to this card at 2.99%, and the APR associated with the transferred balance will stay at 2.99% until you pay the transferred balance down to zero (you have to initiate the balance transfer within 3 months of opening the account.) The card also features a generous 6% cash back rewards program, or, if cash back isn't for you, you can choose to take advantage of travel rewards.

Click here for the "Life-of-Balance" Platinum Business Card from Advanta

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If You Hate Fees, Then You'll Like The New Commerce Bank Small Business Credit Card

Have you had enough with credit card fees? Have you ever wished for a credit card that doesn't charge any fees? What if I were to communicate to you that there's a new small business credit card on the market that doesn't assess any of the following fees:

• Annual fee
• Late payment fee
• Over-the-limit fee
• Cash advance fee
• Balance transfer fee
  
  

Would you believe me?

Well, it's true. According to a recent press release, the folks at Commerce Bank are offering a new, small business Visa® credit card that is literally feeless. Believe it!

Now, I know what you are thinking: if a credit card doesn't have any fees, then the annual percentage rate (APR) -- the interest rate charged on outstanding credit card balances -- must be high. Well, here's another surprise for you: the APR associated with the new Commerce Bank Visa credit card is a reasonable Prime + 4.99%. So, if you were to signup for the new Commerce Bank business card today, the APR would be 8.25% + 4.99%, or 13.24%, which is quite competitive, considering the number of business and consumer credit cards out there which currently have APR's that are higher than 13.24% -- and some that are much higher!

If the absence of annoying credit card fees and a competitive APR aren't enough for you, here's another great feature associated with the new Commerce Bank business Visa card: it's a rewards card.

For more about the new Commerce Bank Visa credit card for small business, point your web browser to http://www.CommerceOnline.com. Here's a clip from a recent press release:

"Commerce Bank, 'America's Most Convenient Bank,' and one of the nation's top small business lenders, has launched a new Visa® Platinum credit card for small business customers that carries absolutely no fees and provides a significant rewards program.

The new, no-fee credit card is the only small business credit card available that has eliminated all the membership and penalty fees typically charged by banks and credit card companies. Commerce small business Visa cardholders will pay absolutely no fees for this platinum credit card account:

• No annual fee
• No late payment fee
• No over-the-limit fee
• No cash advance fee
• No balance transfer fee
• No default pricing

The new Commerce Bank Visa credit card will enable small business owners to avoid paying unnecessary fees and better manage their cash flow.

'By eliminating ridiculous bank fees and penalties charged by other financial institutions, the new Commerce Visa small business card doesn't penalize business owners for being busy running their businesses,' said Commerce Bank Founder and Chairman Vernon W. Hill. 'Commerce Bank is proud to support small business, the backbone of our nation's economy, by offering the best and most convenient free products and services for small business owners.'

Commerce introduces the new small business Visa credit card at a time when most credit card companies and banks are charging more and higher fees than ever. A report issued in October 2006 by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) indicates that the average penalty in 2005 for making a late payment was $34 - a 115 percent increase from the average late fee of $13 in 1995. Late fees will make up about 70 percent of the industry's $17.1 billion in penalty-fee income this year, estimates R.K. Hammer, a bank-advisory firm. Additionally, CardWeb.com says that in the past decade, fees assessed for exceeding a credit limit jumped 138 percent, to an average of $30.81 last year.

The new Commerce Bank Visa credit card also enables customers to earn quadruple Visa Extras Rewards Points for every purchase made -- four points for every dollar spent; most rewards programs typically award only one point for each dollar spent. Rewards points can be redeemed for a variety of business, travel, dining and entertainment products, services and gift certificates from popular retailers and service providers.

Commerce Bank's no-fee Visa small business credit card will carry a low annual percentage rate (APR) of Prime plus 4.99%. Last month, the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration reported a recent increase in small business loans, which came mostly from credit card use by small business. 'Access to credit is vital for small business survival,' said Dr. Chad Moutray, Chief Economist for the Office of Advocacy, commenting on the report. Noting the increase of both the number of micro business loans and the increase in the dollar amount of outstanding loans, Moutray stated, 'The small business credit card market continues to be quite dynamic.'

Commerce is one of the leading small business lenders throughout its footprint and beyond. The bank has supported the growth and prosperity of the nation's small businesses by providing more than $1 billion in loans over the last five years. Commerce has consistently ranked high among regional lenders in the industry in both dollar volume and the number of Small Business Administration (SBA) loans made, and the bank regularly surpasses its regional competitors in dollar volume of loans made to minority-, women- and veteran- owned businesses.

Commerce business customers enjoy the same convenience, advanced technology and personalized service as retail customers. Business owners and their employees can bank at 400+ retail locations, seven days a week, during extended hours, or via the Internet or phone 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Commerce combines its community bank roots with the financial strength of a major regional bank to meet the diverse needs of commercial customers. Commerce Bank's lending professionals are local bankers making local loans, and they establish customer relationships focusing on service and the delivery of individualized financing solutions.

About Commerce Bank

Commerce Bank, 'America's Most Convenient Bank,' is a leading retailer of financial services with 400+ convenient stores in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland and Florida. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., Commerce Bancorp (NYSE: CBH - News) has $45.3 billion in assets and in fiscal year 2006 achieved an 18% increase in core deposits, a 23% increase in net loans and total asset growth of 18%. For more information about Commerce, please visit the company's interactive financial resource center at http://www.commerceonline.com, or call 888-751- 9000."

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Advanta Platinum Business Credit Card Tops Competitors As The Business Credit Card with the Best Annual Percentage Rate (APR)

The latest news from the front of the business credit card wars is that The Advanta Platinum BusinessCard tops competitors as the business credit card with no annual fee that has the lowest annual percentage rate (APR): The Advanta Platinum BusinessCard currently has a fixed APR of 7.99%, and also makes its competitors green with envy by adding a 5% travel or cash back rewards program and a 0% APR on balance transfers for an extraordinary 15 months!

Right now, the average business credit card has an APR of 9.91%, and the average business credit card with rewards has an APR of 11.37%.

Click here for more information about the Advanta Platinum BusinessCard.

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